Originally 14 acres of marshland, this parcel was purchased in 1899 by the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association with a grant of $4,000 from Madison attorney, Daniel K. Tenney. The MPPDA hired Ossian Cole Simonds, a landscape architect, to design a park on the site, intended to serve the families of working men and women who lived near the shops and factories on the isthmus. The park has been expanded and its plan altered several times, but the lagoon and island were part of Simonds' original plan.

Tenney Park was designated a City of Madison Landmark on July 10, 1995 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Read more about the park's history in the Tenney Park Landmark Nomination Form (PDF).